Feelin' a bit sheepish...

[Beekissed]

I think I'd have to use a 22.

I had originally planned to do that but decided we'd get a better bleed out if we cut the throat. Pretty much like when we shoot a deer with a bow, the deer gets a good bleed out prior to death. Worked out good for the little girls too, as there was no loud noise...just a quiet, efficient kill with a sheep bleeding into the garden soil.

Bay, we found a replacement for Charlie this evening...I hope. A male Anatolian, a little over 1 yr old, well socialized and good with kids and other dogs, though not good with chickens(I'll be seeing if he can be trained on that). His price was the kicker, plus he's in our state, which rarely has pure Anatolians to buy....$100 for him.

He's not worked with sheep, just horses and cattle, so there will be a tethering period, a training period and a trial period. I hope and pray he works out and makes a good companion and partner for Blue. They are the same age and sounds like they have the same temperament as well, so we'll see how it goes. It's all a gamble really, so now we roll the dice again on a dog named Sarge.

He's got a sturdier build than does Blue and looks to be a healthy, strong animal. I'll be going to look at him this weekend. I've been praying about a dog to help Blue and this seems to be the dog God put in my path, so I'm now thanking God for this dog and praying for guidance in his training.

 

[Baymule]

Bee, Sarge is a handsome dog. I hope everything works out well with him. I know if there is a way, you will train him and train him right. I am excited for you, the Good Lord has answered your prayers.

I can see why you would quietly cut the throat, it is probably less traumatic for the animal. I'd have a hard time even shooting my lambs. LOL I've been raising them long enough now that I feel like I can put my "awww cute" feelings aside and get it done. Kinda like when I raised rabbits for show and meat. With 50-60 breeding does, I got over the cute factor real fast. LOL

 

[Beekissed]

Bee, Sarge is a handsome dog. I hope everything works out well with him. I know if there is a way, you will train him and train him right. I am excited for you, the Good Lord has answered your prayers.

I can see why you would quietly cut the throat, it is probably less traumatic for the animal. I'd have a hard time even shooting my lambs. LOL I've been raising them long enough now that I feel like I can put my "awww cute" feelings aside and get it done. Kinda like when I raised rabbits for show and meat. With 50-60 breeding does, I got over the cute factor real fast. LOL

Trust me, I really, really wanted to just shoot this one in the head so very many times, even right up to the day before the kill she pushed past me~she was so strong she could just move me to one side easily~and out of the garden gate before I could stop her. Lucky for me she's such a hog, as I got her right back in with the lure of feed, but I so wanted to shoot her, club her or any other violent way to get her dead.

Then I started thinking...if the .22 didn't penetrate the skull right, I'd have to use a hollow point mag. If that blew out the other side it would create a lot of really messy gore and possibly ruin some neck meat...not what I wanted the girls to see. If it failed to do a quick and quiet kill, I didn't want that sticking in their minds.

As it was, we faced the cutting end away from the girls, so they got to see poop coming out of the butt and it distracted them from the blood spraying. All they really saw was a sheep lying calmly while we worked around her neck, then she lying quietly while the blood came out, then some leg kicking when the autonomic nervous system indicated low blood volume and triggered the fight or flight response. That didn't last long either and I allowed the legs to kick to encourage more bleed out. The girls are used to seeing chickens do the same behavior....calmly receive the throat cut and bleed for a bit, then some kicking right prior to death...so it was more natural for them.

All very quiet and it felt better for her to die while we held her in our hands....I couldn't stand that sheep but I truly didn't want her to suffer a bad death.

 

[Kusanar]

Hi all, I don't have sheep, but I have read this entire thread over the past few days and have been enjoying learning. I'm thinking about getting some Jacobs sheep at some point (next few years) for the wool primarily but also to help eat out some of the non grass "weeds" in my field that the horses don't touch. Anyone know if they eat Yellow Crownbeard? my fields are 4 feet high and bright yellow right now...

 

[Beekissed]

@Baymule ....more pics of Sarge!

 

[Baymule]

Sarge looks awesome. He just might be the answer to your prayers. He has that wise look in his face.

@Kusanar what is yellow crownbeard?

 

[Kusanar]

Sarge looks awesome. He just might be the answer to your prayers. He has that wise look in his face.

@Kusanar what is yellow crownbeard?

 

[Kusanar]

View attachment 77705

I have also heard it called "stickweed" because the stalks get woody when it gets tall like this, then in the fall, all of the leaves drop off and leave woody brown sticks standing all over the place. When it is young the stems are soft and it has decent sized leaves, if they will eat it, it should have a decent amount of nutrition when it's young and they can eat the whole thing.

 

[Beekissed]

I have also heard it called "stickweed" because the stalks get woody when it gets tall like this, then in the fall, all of the leaves drop off and leave woody brown sticks standing all over the place. When it is young the stems are soft and it has decent sized leaves, if they will eat it, it should have a decent amount of nutrition when it's young and they can eat the whole thing.

From what I've read, no livestock will touch it. Best to just keep it mowed down as often as possible so it can't survive.

 

[Kusanar]

From what I've read, no livestock will touch it. Best to just keep it mowed down as often as possible so it can't survive.

Right now I'm leaving it alone, the honeybees are loving it. I figure they can get one last easy meal before winter.